


Wheels of Fortune

by WoodlandGoddess1



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), M/M, Roller Skater!Arthur, Skating, Top Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 06:29:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10611171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WoodlandGoddess1/pseuds/WoodlandGoddess1
Summary: He was a vision on the rink. It didn’t matter whether he was just doing circuits or doing tricks. He was beautiful.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Merlin and Arthur belong to BBC and Shine. I'm making no profit from this.
> 
> I wrote this for the Bottom Arthur Fest on Tumblr, because bottom!Arthur needs more love.
> 
> Also note: I'm incapable of writing porn without plot. So have some porn with a limited amount of plot instead. :D

It was a beautiful morning, Merlin realised as he glanced up at the sky, watching the vast blue canvas stretch across the earth before squinting and ducking his face down as the sun emerged from behind the clouds drifting overhead. He unfastened the first two buttons of his purple shirt and pulled at the collar, allowing the cool breeze to filter beneath the fabric and soothe his heated skin. Merlin wondered where he’d gotten the notion it would be cool and shook his head before returning to the book propped open in his hands. He flicked the page over and continued reading, mindful of the path stretching ahead of him and the continuous flood of people bustling around him. Prince Street was often busy; it had taken him two years to grow accustomed to the thick throng of people bustling in all directions and remain comfortable with reading while walking, smiling and sidestepping, offering a greeting and a few words whenever he was recognised.

He wasn’t recognised often.

Merlin supposed that was one of the various and little known benefits of being a private tutor in a place as large and as anonymous as Camelot. He’d been recognized wherever he went when he’d worked back home in Ealdor, across the border in the next county, often being stopped on the one road running through the town for a chat when he just wanted to unwind and read a good book after a hard week of tutoring, nudging and encouraging his latest student to do their best in their studies and reach their full potential wherever possible. Such a task was more than invigorating, but also proved to be exhausting, and sometimes a good book and a pleasant stroll was just what Merlin needed to relax when the weekend arrived. He didn’t often get the relaxation he’d wanted back home and when his previous student had passed their state exams a little over two years ago, Merlin had been quick to send his curriculum vitae further afield as he’d searched for a reasonable flat for a reasonable price. He’d been fortunate to find the place he did and he’d never regretted moving to the large city, her flourishing business sector standing tall and proud as she reached for the sky, pursuing the heights she knew her people could reach.

Market Street ran perpendicular to Prince Street and Merlin headed for the pedestrian crossing where the two streets converged. He slipped a finger between the pages to keep his place and quickened his pace when the green soldier with sword raised aloft flashed into existence overhead and the rumbling traffic slowed to a stop on either side of the pedestrian crossing. His mouth twisted in an almost rueful smile. The hints of their ongoing obsession with medieval antics might have been one of the few things small Merlin might have regretted since moving, but it spoke well of the city, if that obsession was at the top of his limited list of regrets. Merlin huffed and broke into a jog when the green soldier started flashing, warning him that time was running out and the cars would start moving again soon. He’d almost reached the junction when something fast and furious emerged from around the corner and ploughed into him between one moment and the next.

His book flew out of his hands.

His breath was punched out of him before Merlin even hit the pavement and for a moment he could do nothing but stare up at the sky, winded and unmoving, his chest and back a unified front of pain. A feeble groan escaped him a moment later. His mind went blank aside from the vague acknowledgement that he’d been hit with an unexpected train suffering from an impossible case of terminal derailment and he was dead now.

He was dead.

His suspicions were confirmed when a face compromised of all the unspoken dreams and fantasies he’d ever had appeared above his own and revealed the brightest pair of blue eyes he’d ever encountered – eyes glimmering with the fervour of exertion and burning with intensity, but underscored with growing concern. Molten sunshine glowed around the man and set his blond hair afire. Merlin was dead and this man was waiting, waiting to collect him and lead him up the stairway, where he’d spend eternal afternoons sprawled out on a tropical beach while this fine man alternated between fanning him and holding frozen daiquiris to his mouth while murmuring about his plans to suck his cock with admirable eagerness. He almost whimpered at the thought. The vision crouching over him frowned even deeper, his noble brow furrowing, the wide curl of his plush mouth moving, but Merlin could hear nothing beyond an angelic refrain of hallelujah as he stared up at the man. His aquiline nose looked so noble and strong that medieval antics almost seemed like the best thing in existence as Merlin imagined the sharp cut of that jaw attached to a suit of armour and an expression of determined anger. His lips looked so pink that Merlin couldn’t help but assume the man was prone to biting; Merlin stared at them and swallowed the strangled noise that rose in his throat.

A strong hand brushed over the curve of his ear and warm fingers touched the back of his head. Merlin released a hoarse noise of surprise and his heart started thumping, and he started wondering whether he was dreaming instead. His gaze dropped to the thick wrist almost grazing his face and stared at the bare skin on display, sliding up a muscled arm to the broad span of bare shoulders. Golden skin shimmered with sweat. His stomach twisted at the sight of defined collarbones and faint pink nipples that started pebbling, almost seeming to harden under his attention. His gaze snapped back up as the man rippled with warm laughter, his expression brightening with a measure of relief and good humour. The angelic choir went into retirement early, their sudden silence thrusting Merlin back into the real world. His face flushed as the man ceased chuckling long enough to say, “At least you’re not concussed. I’ll admit I was worried for a minute there. I know how serious a collision can be when you aren’t wearing the right gear. Are you alright?”

Merlin stared at the devastating and impossible stranger for what felt like an eternity, his face still blazing, and then tried to scramble to his feet before he could embarrass himself even further, but an immediate lance of pain brought that plan crumbling to its knees. He clamped a hand to the side of his chest and blurted a curse loud enough to startle the stranger, earning an immediate twitch of powerful muscles that would have had Merlin melting into a wanton puddle were it not for the pain rooting him to the spot whenever he tried to drag in a deep breath.

He cursed again for good measure and bowed his head for a long moment as he tried to concentrate on his breathing, on keeping himself calm and collected long enough to give his Mum a ring. She was his immediate go-to treasure trove of remedial action whenever Merlin managed to injure something; the decades she’d spent as a doctor meant he’d almost never had to make an official visit to a medical clinic.

“That sounds painful.” The comment summoned his attention back to the handsome stranger, whose amusement had faded completely, leaving him serious and concerned. His voice was softer now, deepening into a warm baritone. He gestured towards him and his thick silver ring glimmered in the sunshine. “Can I take a look? I have rather extensive experience with skate-related injuries.”

Merlin could do nothing but nod somewhat distantly, his heart in his throat and his eyes almost prepared to tumble out of their sockets as the man leaned closer. He was convinced the temperature had risen three dozen degrees as soon as those large hands moved down to unbutton his shirt and shift the fabric out of the way, revealing skin damp with sweat and the spattering of dark hair that led down to his black trousers.

“I’m Arthur,” said the stranger, his voice still warm and quiet as those strong fingers started pressing, his touch careful and clinical. His blue eyes raked over his torso and then flicked up to his face to find Merlin staring, his shallow breath hitching, torn between pain at the prodding touch and mortified delight that such an attractive man was touching him in public – where people could bear witness to the momentous moment. “Is this alright? How does that feel?”

“Like I’ve just been hit with a freight train and now you’re poking at me.”

“I don’t think you’ve broken something,” Arthur continued calmly, though his expression brightened with the same good humour from earlier, “but bruised ribs can be just as painful and take almost as long to heal. However, I’m not an expert. You might want to visit a doctor to be certain.”

“Fortunately, I can just call Mum and be done with it.”

Merlin didn’t realize what he’d said until Arthur paused while buttoning his shirt back up. His face flushed even redder when Arthur glanced at him in amusement and arched an imperious eyebrow. His plush mouth curled around a smirk.

“Going to ask her to kiss it better?”

“If I wanted someone to kiss it better,” Merlin answered hotly, humiliated and irritated and stubborn enough to keep talking despite the loud and adventurous concert band in his head clamouring to get his attention before he could utter another embarrassing word to the handsome stranger, “I’d just ask you.”

Merlin wanted the earth to swallow him whole as the man coughed to clear his throat and looked away, his cheeks decorated with a faint blush of mortification. Arthur rubbed an awkward hand over the back of his neck and brought attention to the rough scrape marring the sturdiest elbow he’d ever seen. His stomached twisted at the sight and yet he said nothing, more than aware that he’d said enough for a lifetime in just a few short moments. Awkwardly, Merlin did his best to get to his feet and was alarmed when Arthur offered to help almost immediately, his expression kind and yet tentative.

He wasn’t sure how he managed to suffer through another round of having those strong hands on him without incinerating from the resultant mixture of embarrassed irritation and desire. It was strange to meet someone taller than him. Usually, Merlin never did. It took a moment to recall their brief conversation and he looked down to see a pair of skates laced and strapped to a pair of long and muscular legs. His thighs were clad in a pair of padded red shorts that hugged his frame just right. His skates were black and masculine with black laces crisscrossing across the front and leading up to a Velcro strap with the words _Sure-Grip_ embossed upon them.

Red wheels kept him several inches off the ground.

Surprise flickered through him. Merlin looked back up at Arthur, who grinned immediately, as though he’d forgotten the words he’d just spoken a moment ago. Arthur turned and skated a few feet before scooping the book he’d been reading up from the pavement and passing it back to him as he skated away, shooting past him and turning even as he kept moving, saying, “You never gave me _your_ name!”

His name blurted out of him in an instant.

“You’re joking,” Arthur protested even as his face brightened with a fascinating mixture of startled delight and amusement. His powerful muscles flexed with each controlled movement he made as he skated backwards. “I suppose we’ve had a rather fateful meeting then!”

Shaking his head and turning away, Merlin hastened to leave. He moved as fast as his smarting chest allowed him to at least. He gripped his book in both hands and didn’t bother reading again. He wondered if he’d ever encounter such an attractive man again.

Merlin never expected to learn the answer to that unspoken question and learned how wrong he was to make that assumption seven weeks later, curled up under his favourite apple blossom tree in Pendragon Recreational Park with a favourite book and a thermos filled with steaming herbal tea. He was drinking wild apple and cinnamon with ginger today, an odd and pleasing fusion that warmed him down to his toes. Merlin adjusted his glasses and turned the page over, his brow furrowing in concentration as he muttered the words to himself under his breath and made notes in the margins. He was rereading and dissecting the book in preparation for when he’d help his student go through it in a few weeks’ time. He’d have been contented to keep reading, but for the startled and somewhat delighted voice invoking his name.

His head snapped up.

His stomach twisted at the sight of Arthur, flushed with exertion and beaming, his fingers tugging the white earphones attached to the iPod strapped to his upper arm from his ears as he came to a gradual stop on the smooth pavement that meandered through Pendragon Recreational Park. His plush mouth looked just as kissable as ever. Arthur abandoned the pavement and stomped across the grass. Unceremoniously, Arthur dropped down and sat opposite him.

“Can’t you afford a shirt?”

“You can’t speak to me like that.” Arthur released a small huff of laughter and shook his head even as he continued beaming, his eyes shining and growing curious. He gestured toward his glasses. “You weren’t wearing those the last time we met.”

“I lost a contact lens in the bathroom sink this morning and had to resort to the old reliables.” Merlin reached up to touch the frame of his glasses before looking down at the book in his lap and continuing to read. One moment passed and then another before he flicked the page over and glanced at Arthur, who was still watching, his gaze warm and intense and somewhat irritating. His insides squirmed under the growing weight of that stare. Merlin looked back down at his book and attempted to continue reading, the black ink blurring as his mind paid more attention to the attractive man sitting opposite him than on the book in his grasp. His shoulders tightened. He looked up with a small sigh. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Oh.” Arthur offered him a sheepish smile and looked away, that awkward hand returning to rub at the back of his neck again. Merlin told himself that such a thing wasn’t endearing – that nothing about this fit and shirtless man was endearing, no matter what his squirming stomach tried to tell him. “I just wanted to ask how you were doing.”

“I’m feeling much better.”

“Too bad.” His sheepish smile morphed into a somewhat smug smirk as Arthur looked at him again. He arched that imperious eyebrow once more and a bead of sweat slipped down from his temple in a wet slide. His torso shimmered with sweat just like last time. His cheeks tinged with a faint pink beneath the fervour of exertion. “I might have offered to kiss it better.”

Merlin laughed immediately, his face flushing, remembering the last conversation the pair had in a sudden and humiliating rush. He looked down at the book in his hands and tightened his grip before looking at Arthur, whose smug expression had faded into something else entirely, something soft and intense and laced with nervous and unspoken intent. His stomach squirmed at the sight. His heart thumped in his chest and Merlin rushed to say, “Would you like to get coffee sometime?”

“I’d like that.” A rush of sudden relief washed over golden features. Tension Merlin hadn’t even noticed bled from his muscular frame and Arthur flopped down on the grass to look up at the sky, shadows and patches of sunshine dappling the bare expanse of his thick torso. Merlin swallowed thickly, his gaze skating over the skin on display, admiring the natural softness of his abdomen and wanting nothing more than to press his face against the expanse and tease just below the navel now tempting him. His face burned. His grip tightened around his book until his knuckles ached. A warm laugh rippled through that muscular frame as one arm moved to drape across his face and revealed a smattering of hair darkened with sweat. Arthur peeked at Merlin from under the curve of his arm and that sheepish smile made another appearance. “Honestly, I was dreading the prospect of asking you out. I’ve been mustering the courage to ask since I saw you sitting there and I wasn’t even certain I’d manage to ask before one of us had to leave. I’m glad you managed to get there first.”

Merlin withdrew his phone from his pocket and waved it at Arthur, whose cheeks tinged an even deeper pink as he rattled off his phone number and watched Merlin thumb at the screen.

“I’m going to save you as Shirtless Man unless you tell me your surname.” Merlin looked at him over the rim of his glasses and smiled cheerfully, earning yet another blush and feeling rather proud of that fact. It wasn’t often he could earn an embarrassed flush from a man so attractive. He was going to strap this triumph to his belt like a sword and never relinquish it. Merlin raised a mocking eyebrow and shook his phone. “Well?”

“I’m Arthur Pendragon.” Arthur sat up slowly, his frame no longer relaxed. He rubbed at the back of his neck again and looked around surreptitiously, as though worried someone would overhear him speaking his name. Merlin stared at him and he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or weep because of the endless cosmic jokes rippling around them. His chest tightened. Surely, the man was having him on. He knew of just one Pendragon household in the whole city, and he doubted a single member would ever be interested in a common tutor like him. Arthur looked at him and his smile fractured. His muscled arms wrapped around a lone knee as the man claiming to be a Pendragon stared at him uncertainly, almost hesitantly, the corners of those captivating eyes tightening with growing discomfort. His voice sharpened. “Is there a problem?”

“No.” Merlin shook his head quickly, taking that niggling doubt and kicking it out the door. It had no place in this conversation – not when it made the kind man sitting opposite him act even more awkward. This kind of discomfort wasn’t endearing, but heartbreaking; a man like Arthur shouldn’t have to be awkward about a single thing. Merlin smiled at him in encouragement. “You have a nice strong name.”

“I haven’t heard that one before.” Arthur rose to his feet with an enviable grace despite the large skates attached to his feet and his smile returned in full. He looked down at Merlin then and hesitated for a moment before turning and stomping away, glancing over his shoulder and announcing, “I’m looking forward to that coffee. I hope we’ll see each other again soon.”

Merlin couldn’t even survive the rest of the afternoon without calling him and scheduling their coffee date with a show of eagerness so blatant that he could hear Arthur smirking. That damned smirk sounded so infuriating and arousing that Merlin wanted to crawl through the phone and put the smug git in his place at once. He bided his time instead. Merlin waited for him the following Saturday, having arranged to meet the man in his favourite café on Smith Lane at noon. The Old Oak had a soft and welcoming interior, the decor both warm and cosy; it almost seemed to encourage a person to relax with a good book or a newspaper.

Not that Merlin was doing much relaxing at the moment.

His fingers tapped the tabletop on a loop as Merlin watched the door, waiting for Arthur, or perhaps waiting for his brain to wake up and discover he wasn’t meant to be on a date with the most attractive man he’d ever met since his awkward and frustrating teen years. He’d just convinced himself that he’d been dreaming when his date made an appearance at last.

Arthur Pendragon was a walking wet dream.

He strode through the door with his shoulders squared and his chin raised with a confidence that seemed so at odds with the awkward and uncertain man Merlin had met before. A deep red cashmere sweater highlighted the broad span of his shoulders and the collar of the black shirt underneath brought attention to the golden hue of his neck and the apple there. Black jeans moulded themselves around powerful thighs and Merlin found his imagination running wild with thoughts of them enveloping his hips and hauling him even closer, holding him tight against that muscular body, demanding more and more. Arthur carried a black trench coat in the crook of his arm. His determined gaze swept through the Old Oak and then brightened upon locating Merlin. Arthur made a beeline for him and Merlin smiled immediately, his chest tightening, watching as his impossible date settled in the chair opposite him and smiled.

“You came!”

“You thought I wouldn’t?”

“Honestly, I thought I was dreaming,” Merlin muttered as he concealed his face behind the lunch and drinks menu. He peered at Arthur over the top and found him smirking, the expression triumphant smug, and Merlin wasn’t sure whether he wanted to kick him or kiss him. He shifted in his chair and their knees bumped under the table. His chest tightened when that other knee continued to linger, not moving closer, but not moving away, and the heat from that thick leg was immense. Merlin wondered how the man could stick that denim in this heat and he might have continued wondering, were it not for the realisation that Arthur had answered his muttered remark and he hadn’t heard a word of it.

Merlin hummed in question.

Arthur snorted in amusement and his eyes sparkled. He folded his arms upon the table as he leaned closer, that damned smirk deepening, repeating his remark slowly, “Do you dream of me often then?”

Merlin knew this infuriating git was the one for him at once and opened his mouth to offer an immediate retort. The rest of the date followed this frustrating pattern of flirtation and Merlin later left the Old Oak grinning, his fingers tingling where he’d brushed against a strong hand while reaching for the sugar, the moment so clichéd and yet so exquisite. Just that touch had sent a shiver racing through him. He’d imagined abandoning his herbal tea and hauling Arthur into the bathroom nearby, hands eager and desperate and mouth even more so. But he’d done none of that. He’d watched his date curl his large hands around a surprising cup of steaming hot white chocolate laden with whipped cream and a thick dusting of milk chocolate powder instead.

It wasn’t the strong coffee he’d almost been expecting.

“I just find coffee too bitter,” Arthur had answered when questioned. He’d offered a sheepish smile that acted as a counterpoint to the smug smirks he’d been wearing during their earlier banter. He’d raised the cup to his mouth and had taken a deep swallow before lowering the cup back down. His pink tongue had darted out to catch the cream kissing the corner of his mouth. “I don’t have to like coffee just because others expect me to.”

Merlin found himself on yet another date with him three months later. He’d often seen Arthur three times a week since that first date and he hadn’t regretted a single moment until now. He stared at the wooden rink straight ahead of him and his stomach twisted with nerves. His balance wasn’t great at the best of times and he couldn’t imagine it would improve with the addition of skates. Arthur, however, had been raving about the upcoming roller disco for weeks and his excitement had been so endearing that Merlin hadn’t paused to think before agreeing to attend the event with him. His hands tightened around the skates in his grip as he sat down on one of the chairs just outside the rink. Arthur was nothing but an explosion of energy, his large hands lacing up his masculine skates quickly, and then he was moving, hopping from his wheels to his stops and back again with expert precision as he approached the entrance to the rink.

His ripped black jeans and red faux leather jacket were enticing.

Arthur and his elder sister – Morgana – had been zooming around on skates ever since he’d turned four, when the two of them and their heartbroken mother needed a distraction after their father died in a tragic bathroom incident. It had been considered a coping mechanism at first. Naturally, Ygraine Pendragon hadn’t been in a great place after her husband died and it was Nimueh Black – one of her old friends from college – that had coaxed her out of that misery, coaxed her out of the house and into something fun and energising. Something unconnected to the life she’d led with her husband. She’d taken her young children with her, and the three of them had settled down to watch a local roller derby, in which Nimueh had been participating; their lives hadn’t been the same since.

Arthur gripped the gate leading into the rink now and beamed at Merlin.

Merlin pulled on the skates and laced them up slowly, dawdling, drawing in one calm breath after another. He could do this. He’d do whatever he had to in order to keep that beaming smile in place. Merlin raised his head and looked at Arthur, using that smile as the impetus to get him moving, his shaking hands gripping the arms of the steel chair hard as he pushed himself to his feet. He drew in a breath and took one slow step after another, each one bringing him closer to Arthur, whose smile grew even brighter. Strong fingers brushed his arm and Merlin swallowed as a familiar tingle raced through him. It happened whenever Arthur touched him now and reminded him of their first kiss four weeks earlier, and the soft moans that had kissed his ears as he’d driven Arthur up against the wall and kissed him senseless after spending several weeks witnessing the most bizarre mating ritual comprised of endearing awkwardness and smug banter.

He hadn’t expected Arthur to melt against him as though he’d been relieved to have Merlin make the next move required to further their deepening relationship. His strong hands had tangled in his hair and had hauled Merlin closer, his mouth hot and hard and eager, almost desperate to be claimed as Merlin pinned him against the wall and nudged his knees apart with his thigh.

Arthur nodded in encouragement now and stepped out of the way, stepping out onto the wooden rink and beckoning Merlin closer, his hand out in welcome. His hair glowed various hues as the coloured lights flashed around the rink and 80s music flooded the vast chamber. His eyes glittered. Swallowing, his insides squirming, Merlin took another deep breath and stepped out onto the smooth surface as he gripped the wall with one hand tight enough to ache. His other hand latched onto Arthur, whose expression softened entirely, understanding flashing across his face.

“You’ll be alright.”

“I’m going to fall as soon as you let go!”

“That doesn’t matter,” Arthur answered gently, still smiling, the expression open and encouraging. Merlin stared at him. “I fall all the time. I know it doesn’t look like it. You have to lose your fear of falling, Merlin. You won’t improve otherwise.”

“I’m never going to be good at this. You do know that?”

“I know; getting you to walk without tripping is hard enough.” Arthur let his smile turn teasing as he leaned closer, his welcome heat a soothing balm as Merlin continued to clutch his thick forearm. He nibbled his bottom lip and then leaned even closer, bringing his mouth to the curve of one ear, his soft lips grazing his skin with promise. Merlin wobbled on his skates. “Just do your best and I’ll make it worth your while when we’re finished.”

Merlin drew in a startled breath and nodded his head quickly, his throat tightening at the idea of getting his hands on that man again. Arthur had proven himself to be an eager lover since Merlin had stolen their first kiss from him. He’d climb onto his lap whenever possible and he’d grind down against his cock while moaning, his mouth soft and eager as Merlin kissed him deep and slow. He’d make the most exquisite sounds when Merlin slipped his hands down the back of his jeans or padded shorts and gripped his arse with intent while his mouth latched onto the nearest available nipple. He’d arch his back in pleasure as Merlin tugged and suckled and licked at those nipples until his cock was hard and aching, straining against his zipper, begging for attention. He’d curse as his large hands gripped black hair while Merlin murmured into his ear, telling him just what he wanted to do to that thick arse of his when the time was right – salacious comments that left Arthur blushing, but so damned eager, so hot and wanton.

“I’m holding you to that.”

“I’d hoped you’d hold me to something else. I have plans.”

“I bet you do.” Merlin laughed and shook his head and then looked at Arthur, taking note of the growing tension in his muscular frame. It was clear that Arthur couldn’t wait to start moving, to start skating, and to start zipping around the rink like he’d been born with wheels instead of feet. Merlin squeezed his arm and let go. “Go on: I know you’re almost bursting at the seams. I’ll manage.”

“Are you sure?”

“You can come back to me when you’re feeling less restless.”

Merlin gave him an encouraging smile and then laughed again when Arthur kissed his cheek and murmured his gratitude. He was gone in an instant. Merlin stood there and just watched him for a minute. He watched the delight flood through Arthur, who skated circles around the other people skating, his movements fluid and dynamic. His chest tightened with endless admiration.

Arthur made it look so simple.

Merlin looked down at his hired skates and sighed heavily, convinced he’d fall as soon as he started moving, but at least he could claim he’d tried once he was finished. He took a breath and then raised his head as he started moving, remembering one of the various snippets of advice he’d heard in the car: Arthur had expounded in immense detail on the dos and don’ts of skating until his head started spinning. He was fortunate he’d even remembered a glimmer of that advice. His movements were careful and slow. He almost hugged the perimeter wall. He’d managed to cover half of the rink before he almost fell. The shift in his balance was sudden and nerve-wrecking, but somehow he managed to remain on his feet. His breathing quickened and sweat broke out on his skin as his heart thumped in his chest.

His eyes sought Arthur immediately, finding him crouched low on one foot while the other leg extended out in front of him in an athletic display, and the one downside was that Merlin couldn’t see his muscles flexing beneath his golden skin as he straightened and continued skating. Merlin sighed and looked away, refusing to call him over, knowing Arthur needed this release. He’d been a bundle of nerves for over a week as the event loomed nearer. Merlin started moving again and managed a circuit and a half before his next slip.

Arthur, however, was near enough to dart forward and catch him before Merlin smacked his face on the floor. His arms were warm and tight around him as Arthur hauled him backwards and helped him regain his balance. He murmured soothing words as Merlin panted hard. Merlin was trembling, both from the exertion and from almost falling, and Arthur nuzzled against his ear and asked quietly, his voice soft and tender, “Do you need to sit down for a bit?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Arthur answered encouragingly, his hands gentling him almost like a rider soothing a horse when he came around to stand in front of him. He pressed a warm kiss against his cheek and then searched his face for a moment. His brow furrowed with a concerned frown. His hand darted out and brushed a lock of his damp hair away, moving it back from his face. Arthur slid his hand down and gripped his then. “Come on. I’ll skate with you until we reach the next exit and then I’ll get us something from the roller shop. You look like you need a drink and something to nibble.”

Merlin was sitting down soon enough and he couldn’t stop trembling, his limbs tired and aching, but he watched as Arthur hastened over to the counter on his skates and spoke to the cashier. He soon returned with an armful of bottled water, his favourite chocolate bar, and a packet of skittles. He shoved them over to Merlin immediately, his expression still concerned. Merlin looked down at them and then looked at Arthur, saying, “I’ll never be able to drink all that water.”

“I’ll have some when I need to.” Arthur gazed across the table at him and then looked at his hands for a moment. He fidgeted with the thick silver ring on his finger and Merlin refrained from apologising, knowing Arthur did so whenever he was struggling to admit something. “I know you regret coming, so we can go whenever you want.”

“You don’t have to do that for me.” Merlin reached across the small table and captured his larger hand – a habit he’d developed since the pair had first started dating. He gave a warm squeeze. He smiled when Arthur glanced up and started smiling, his expression almost hopeful as he looked at Merlin. His eyes glittered with adoration. “I know you want to be here and I don’t want to ruin this night for you: you’ve been looking forward to this event for weeks. Honestly, I don’t mind being here with you when I’m watching you show off your skills and interacting with the other skaters. I just don’t think skating is for me.”

“It doesn’t have to be. I’m just glad you tried – it was more than the last person I dated ever did.” Arthur turned his hand over, tangling their fingers together. His smile warmed even more. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay,” Arthur said with a cheerful grin before rising from his chair and leaning over the table separating them. Merlin sighed when a familiar hand slipped into his hair and then the pair were kissing, Arthur quiet and eager, though Merlin could feel his breath hitching with the urge to moan again his mouth. His date smiled when he withdrew and nibbled his bottom lip in flirtation. “You’ll be getting a treat later.”

“I’m certain we established that already,” Merlin teased quietly, reaching up to cup a familiar jaw. His gaze drifted down the length of that vulnerable neck as he remembered the various love bites he’d left on that expanse of skin over the last few weeks. A hot curl of desire wrapped around him as blue eyes darkened in front of him. He kissed him again and Arthur sighed against his mouth with want. His breath shook when Merlin withdrew. “Get going or I won’t be held accountable for what happens next.”

Arthur directed a heated stare at him and then darted away, the thick swell of his arse a vision of perfection and loveliness beneath the denim of his jeans. Merlin watched him long after he slipped through the entrance to the rink and smiled as Arthur threw himself into his skating, into his main source confidence. He was a vision on the rink. It didn’t matter whether he was just doing circuits or doing tricks. He was beautiful. Merlin opened the packet of skittles and nibbled as he watched Arthur, noting how his flush of exertion grew deeper and his hair grew damp with sweat. He moved onto the chocolate bar as soon as he was finished the skittles and watched Arthur wrench off his faux leather jacket before tossing it at him unceremoniously on his way, Merlin catching it easily, pulling the warmth of it around his shoulders as his own frame chilled. He slipped his arms into the large sleeves and pushed the cuffs back from his wrists before opening a bottle of water. He drained it after a few long gulps and set the bottle aside. He opened another and drained that too before darting off to use the loo.

Merlin soon returned and continued watching Arthur, admiring the shine of sweat on naked arms as the man paused in his skating, breathing hard and standing with his hands on his hips. His pebbled nipples almost showed through his white tank top. Arthur looked in his direction and twitched in surprise as his eyes took note of the jacket Merlin now wore. His expression changed then and Merlin swallowed as his own mouth started salivating; he started unlacing his hired skates even as his date moved to finish his latest circuit. Merlin darted over to return his skates and had just finished lacing his shoes when Arthur reached him.

Arthur fisted his shirt and jacket and hauled him away, pulling him down the stairs and out into the car park. He shoved Merlin up against his own car and kissed him desperately, his large hands slipping into his hair and tugging. Merlin grunted and pulled Arthur still closer, his hands finding that thick arse and squeezing, earning a rough and pleased moan. Those broad hips stuttered in pleasure and Arthur choked out a whine as Merlin wrenched himself away, panting, his face flushed with want and his mouth bruised from kissing. Merlin pulled open the car door and almost shoved Arthur through the opening, earning a startled laugh. He darted around to his own side of the car and bundled himself in behind the steering wheel.

The drive back to his flat took forever, but it was worth it when Arthur tore his clothes off and shoved him down on the bed. He watched the man crawl towards him with the same confidence from the rink and muscular thighs soon framed his hips. Arthur kissed him with his whole body, leaning into it with his whole being, his mouth hot and hard and passionate as Merlin fisted that blond hair with two hands. He withdrew with a suddenness that left Merlin reeling, his eyes snapping open to watch Arthur press a series of kisses down his sternum before glancing up at Merlin and confessing in a silken murmur, “I’ve been thinking about your cock for weeks. Do you mind...?”

A strained noise escaped Merlin as he shook his head.

His mouth curling, Arthur pressed another kiss against his chest and then shuffled down further, his tempting lips trailing down over his stomach. His hot breath soon found his cock and Merlin went from twitching with interest to being as hard as flint in a matter of seconds. His lover chuckled and nibbled his bottom lip even as he nuzzled the hard length. A soft sigh of pleasure escaped Arthur, whose eyes fluttered shut. Arthur pressed a kiss against the head before drawing him between his lips and moaning, his mouth stretching around him. He wasn’t performing, not really, but Arthur was a man that knew what he loved to do and wasn’t afraid to devote time to doing it. He wasn’t afraid to make that devotion obvious. He was slow and eager, his mouth vibrating whenever a soft moan escaped Arthur, who stroked what he couldn’t reach with a loving hand and then stroked over the shining head whenever the man drew away, needing a moment to rest his jaw.

His eyes were dark with lust whenever he glanced up at Merlin.

It wasn’t long, however, until Merlin gripped his hair and tugged with force enough to make Arthur comply, his cheeks flushed with want and his lips swollen from pleasuring his cock.

Merlin gestured to the bedside locker as he released him and moved to prop himself against the pillows. Arthur levelled a heated stare at him before crawling up and straddling him all over again. He leaned over, his muscles rippling beneath his golden skin. He pulled opened the top drawer and withdrew the bottle of lube and one of the condoms stored there. He dropped the condom down on the bed and snapped the bottle open even as a smug and triumphant smirk curled his plush mouth. Merlin swallowed and watched Arthur squeeze lube out on his fingers before the man reached back and sighed heavily, his triumphant smirk morphing into an expression of muted pleasure.

That plush bottom lip disappeared between his teeth as Merlin watched his muscles flex and listened to the faint slick sounds that accompanied his actions while his heart did its best to burst a hole through his chest. His lover knew how to please himself and was more than comfortable doing so. Merlin could see the ease with which his lover moved astride him. Arthur opened himself up slowly, thoroughly, as though to compensate for almost making him cum before the main event. A soft groan caught in his throat and then shuddered free as those eyes fluttered closed again. Sweat beaded upon his skin. He was mesmerising. Merlin watched Arthur avidly, his mind running wild and his cock aching, hard and wet against one thick and tempting buttock. Pulses of need rippled through him as each stutter of those broad hips stimulated his aching cock. He’d never wanted to slam inside someone so much before. His hands twitched with the urge to grip thick hips.

But he held off.

He held off until those slick fingers emerged and Arthur tore open the foil wrapper before rolling the condom down over his cock. Merlin seized his hips then as his lover shifted fractionally, rising, his slick hand seeking the hard length of him.

Arthur stared down at him as he steadied him and then started pressing, sinking down on him. His head tipped back in pleasure as a curse tumbled free. Merlin clamped down on the hoarse groan threatening to escape as Arthur sank down to the hilt and stilled to allow him a moment to grow accustomed to the tight inferno clenching around him as Arthur sighed. Muscles flexed as Arthur gripped the headboard and started moving, rising and falling just an inch at first and then more as the pair grew accustomed to each other, his movements gaining speed and force. Merlin gripped him tighter, knowing he’d find possessive bruises later, and Arthur moaned in encouragement. His lips parted to accommodate each gasping breath and sound of pleasure – which grew still more pronounced when Merlin planted his feet against the mattress to get leverage and started snapping his own hips in answer, driving himself deeper, harder.

Arthur tipped his head forward then and choked out one curse and then another, his face flushing, the blatant heat spreading down his neck and chest. Wood groaned as his hands tightened around the headboard. Arthur invoked his name a moment later; the word divided into its syllables as he punctuated each one with a strangled sob. One hand relinquished the headboard and shot down to wrap around his cock. It took less than two strokes to have Arthur coming, his hips stilling, his frame tensing and then shuddering, his hand milking stripe after stripe of cum from his cock even as Merlin slowed to a hard grind that had him whimpering, choking on his name.

His clenching heat dragged Merlin over the edge less than a moment later.

His breathing hard and heavy, Arthur reached for him with shaking hands and Merlin couldn’t muster enough energy to care about the fact that he had streaks of cum in his hair now. Devouring those red and swollen lips was much more important. He and Arthur clutched at each other, the pair alternating between exchanging trembling kisses and panting, Arthur whispering raggedly, “I’ve wanted to do that since we met.”

Merlin laughed and tugged Arthur closer, but said nothing, three words hovering between them unspoken.


End file.
